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Bdefined Personal Training and Fitness Studio
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Bridgit Kin-Charlton, owner, Bdefined
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David Marmon is the owner and head coach of Marmon Muscle and its affiliate, Home of CrossFit Williamsburg, located inside the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex (WISC).
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Body Balance by Physioflow is run by Swiss transplant and trained physical therapist Florina Tusa-Wyss.
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Tusa-Wyss is passionate about yoga and the benefits it can have for anyone.
On a Tuesday afternoon, in a boutique fitness studio in New Town, an older woman peddled at an exercise bike while chatting amicably about the weather. Beside her, a young woman swung a kettlebell, discussing a new vegan food plan with her trainer. That’s when you realize: In Williamsburg, health and fitness are for everyone, and it’s never too late to start—and maintain—your health.
“We get clients that come in and say, ‘Well, I’m not fit enough or in shape enough yet to start working out with you guys,’ but that’s what we’re here for.” said Bridgit Kin-Charlton of James City County. The 42-year-old owns Bdefined personal training and fitness studio.
”Everybody starts from somewhere,” she adds.
However, in spring, after New Year’s resolutions have melted with the snow, starting isn’t always the problem. For many, it’s continuing to make healthy choices all year long that’s the struggle.
“Life gets in the way,” Kin-Charlton admits. “So I tell people, ‘Can you get in 20 minutes of exercise a day?’ I think everyone can commit to that. Schedule it in like you would an appointment with a client. Would you just miss that appointment? Of course not. So why would you with your exercise?”
Still, health is holistic. One aspect that people don’t always consider has nothing to do with jump squats or running shoes—it’s about why you’re working out at all.
In other words, finding your motivation.
For David Marmon, owner and head coach of Marmon Muscle and its affiliate, Home of CrossFit Williamsburg, his motivation began with his father
“My father passed away at 44 years of age. Prior to his death, he was morbidly obese and he had gastric bypass surgery to lose weight. He did not take the nutrition recommendations seriously and he ended up dying of liver disease.”
Marmon was a young teenager at the time and overweight himself. After being benched on the football team for exceeding the weight limit, Marmon began running laps.
“I wanted fitness to be a part of my lifestyle,” Marmon said. Now going on 40, the James City County resident has never stopped challenging himself. “It’s not an issue of ‘I have to work out.’ It’s not an obligation; it’s an opportunity.”
He’s dedicated his life to giving that opportunity to others, with clients in their 60s doing sled-pulls in his gym while children attend his team’s KidsCrossFit program.
To kick off 2018, Marmon sent out an email with health tips for his clients. These tips included consistently exercising more days than you rest and finding a training buddy for accountability.
Marmon’s final piece of advice for the new year was what he called “filling the cup that needs filling.”
“Instead of just doing the things you want to do, ask yourself what you’re lacking. Is it nutrition? Is it strength-training? Is it flexibility?”
Fortunately, in Williamsburg there are plenty of places to get that cup filled. Our town encompasses a variety of health opportunities from personal training to Pilates to yoga.
Body Balance by Physioflow, now run by 46-year-old Swiss transplant and trained physical therapist Florina Tusa-Wyss, teaches the latter. It’s at Body Balance that Tusa-Wyss strives to create a place of mindfulness.
“I want the people to get out, away from clutter and electronics and the overwhelming lifestyle we have, and just be themselves,” said Tusa-Wyss.
She is passionate about yoga and the benefits it can have for anyone, young or old, but she also believes that people can find opportunities for healthfulness no matter where they are. In her native country of Switzerland, movement is built into everyday life. Our community can adapt a similar approach.
“Be mindful. Look around at what we have here in Williamsburg,” she said. “We have the river and ocean close by. Go paddle boarding or take walks or swim. There are really many different options.”
The same, too, with nutrition. Take advantage of the healthy options Williamsburg has to offer.
“I always encourage people to shop at the Farmers Market, where food is really seasonal and local,” Tusa-Wyss explained. “I really try to incorporate into my life raw foods and clean eating. I’m also cooking fresh every day. People think it takes me so much time but the Internet is full of five ingredient meals.”
Yet, Tusa-Wyss and the trainers acknowledge that everyone is different. People need to find what’s right for them as long as they remember this tip from Marmon: “People are more capable than they think.”
So no matter if you’re on an exercise bike, swinging a kettlebell or walking your dog along the river, spring forward toward your health goals.